“Talking about people we love, Flora rowed a boat to the island. Did she tell you?”

“No. She didn’t tell me that. She got in a boat? That must have been—I mean why would—”

“She was worried about me.”

“Oh right. Well that would explain it.”

“She fell in the water and totally freaked.”

“No kidding. I don’t suppose she’ll ever go near the water again.”

“I couldn’t believe she’d do that for me.”

“I can believe it. It’s how she is. She doesn’t make a fuss. She’s warmhearted and generous, and she genuinely cares about you. She had a tough time too when she was growing up.”

“I know. She told me a few things. And she showed me a picture of her mom.” Izzy fiddled with the hem of her shirt. “I saved her, kind of.” Did that sound boastful? She didn’t mean it to. It was her way of letting her dad know she didn’t want Flora to drown.

He stirred. “I’m glad about that, because I really like her.”

“You more than like her, Dad.”

“Right. Good point.” He cleared his throat. “I love her. Does that upset you?”

Izzy discovered that it didn’t, perhaps because of her own deepening feelings for Aiden. Love was incredible actually, although she was finding it almost impossible to write about. It didn’t make logical sense when you thought about it. But one thing she knew was that you didn’t have a choice who you fell in love with.

Thinking of that made her feel a little better about her mother. What had Aunt Clare said? She wasn’t a bad person. She just made bad choices. For some reason that made sense to Izzy. But the best thing was how easy it had been to talk to Clare—and she’d insisted Izzy had called her Clare. I’m not your aunt, but I’d very much like to be your friend.

Izzy no longer felt as if she was living on an island.

“It doesn’t upset me. I like Flora, although I’ve probably driven her crazy.”

“I’ve probably driven her crazy, too. And she may want nothing to do with me after this because I’ve messed up in a big way.”

“With Flora? How?”

“Because I haven’t told her any of this stuff about your mom, and I should have done. I should have shared it. And I tried to handle too much without involving her, and I’ve made her feel as if she’s on the outside.”

Izzy thought about what she knew. “That’s a biggie for Flora.”

“Yes. I should have shared more. I should have drawn her into the family more.”

Izzy felt a stab of guilt. “I pushed her away, so that’s partly my fault.”